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New U.S.-Mexico Telecommunications Agreement Will Ease Burdens on U.S. Manufacturers

05/26/2011

Paris, France – United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Mexican Secretary of Economy Bruno Ferrari today signed an agreement that will ease burdens on U.S. companies, especially smaller manufacturers, seeking to export telecommunications products to Mexico, while maintaining our high levels of safety protection and facilitating cross-border trade. Under the Mutual Recognition Agreement between the Government of the United States and the Government of the United Mexican States for Conformity Assessment of Telecommunications Equipment, Mexican regulatory authorities will accept tests performed by recognized U.S. laboratories to determine the conformity of telecommunications equipment with Mexican technical requirements, rather than requiring additional testing before the American products can be sold in Mexico. The full text of the agreement is available here.

“This agreement will save American manufacturers money and time by allowing them to test their products only once before exporting them to Mexico, supporting good jobs here at home and further facilitating the vital trade that happens between our two economies,” said Ambassador Kirk.

Mexico is the United States’ third-largest goods trading partner, with a total two-way goods trade of $393 billion in 2010. This agreement further cements the mutually beneficial U.S.-Mexico trade relationship and supports American and Mexican businesses and workers with opportunities for growth.

This agreement will permit recognized U.S. laboratories to test telecommunications products for conformity with Mexican technical requirements, and vice versa. This saves manufacturers the time and expense of additional product testing and lowers prices for consumers. The agreement covers equipment subject to telecommunications regulation, including wire and wireless equipment, and terrestrial and satellite equipment. Under the agreement, both parties have committed to undertake confidence building measures during an 18 month transition period, which will include joint meetings and training opportunities for government officials involved in designating and recognizing testing laboratories and reviewing test reports.

The agreement fully preserves the authority of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to determine the level of safety protection it considers appropriate, and in no way lowers current U.S. safety requirements.